Activists protest against Amnesty’s ‘complicity with torture’ of Kurdish leader

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ACTIVISTS held a protest at Amnesty International’s offices in Barcelona yesterday in protest at the so-called human rights group’s continued silence over Kurdish hunger strikers.

The Azadi Plataforma, a Catalan Kurdish solidarity group, said Amnesty was “complicit with torture” by failing to speak out as 7,000 people are on hunger strike in protest at the continued isolation of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan.

They released a statement titled “Amnesty International: Silence and Manipulation,” in which the government-sponsored NGO was accused of failing to stand up for the human rights of Kurdish people.

The platform reminded Amnesty that it was Kurds who defeated Isis in Syria, calling on the group to “break their silence” and stop supporting the Turkish state.

Graffiti on the side of the building said: “Silence is complicity with torture” and “Solidarity is our best weapon against fascism.”

Activists denounced Amnesty for its recent action at its London offices, where police were called to forcibly remove those who had occupied the reception area.

A number of Kurdish and communist activists were detained by police after Amnesty was accused of denying their basic human rights, including access to the toilets and fresh air.